Sweet Tranquility
by Hiyono-chin
Summary: [RuHo x NatMi] Will they heed the call of the chains that fate has stirred? Love will indeed bloom despite the stillness...
1. Obliged Benevolence

**Chapter 1: Obliged Benevolence**

Black rain clouds came sweeping in and piled high over _Alice_ Academy. The late afternoon light grew dim as **Ruka Nogi** treaded his way to the animal barn. He clutched his umbrella firmly as the howl of the wind turned into an earsplitting shriek.

He was walking his way there for his _weekly_ checkup on the animals. It always seems his duty to ensure that all of them are doing well, for he has something that enables him to understand the feelings of the animals better than anyone. A Beast Pheromone for an _Alice_, to be exact.

He quickened his pace when a thunderclap pierced the air. He knew too well that his friends in the shed dislike anything that surprises them.

It was then that Ruka sensed _someone_ nearby.

He stopped as he saw a figure taking shelter under the roof of the garden tools shed. He was close enough to notice her long dark hair that reached her shoulders and her deep purple eyes staring at him. He knew perfectly well who this person is.

"**_Imai_**." He addressed her with his voice that suited his 14 years of age.

"_You_," was the only reply of the person he just referred to by her surname.

Once more, nothing but the sound of the rain pelting the ground can be heard. They both stood there, staring at each other.

Ruka wondered what she was doing there and thought he heard a shiver from her. He sighed as he realized that she was half-wet. He smiled to the thought that even smart-old **Hotaru Imai** can be as silly as not to prepare herself with an umbrella in this certain part of the season.

'_Lucky she must be,_' he began, '_that I was on my way to the barn._'

Hotaru was actually feeling less lucky at that time.

She just had an argument with her elder brother and forgot to bring her parasol when she walked out of his room. Her mind was cloudy due to the quarrel that she only remembered her umbrella when a bright flash of lightning pierced the sky, presaging rain.

She was afraid to throw her well hidden frustrations, hence the reason she needn't see anyone this time…and Ruka was of no exception.

Another deafening thunderclap roared that it brought Ruka back to his senses. He should attend to the animals now. But he can't leave his friend under these circumstances.

He shifted his shimmering azure eyes from the bleak road back to the Middle School Dormitory, then at Hotaru once again. His mind raced as his thoughts struggled.

The distance of the dormitory from their current location is farther than the barn, so he thought it wise to bring her to where he's headed.

But if he brings Hotaru to the barn, she'd surely see how he uses his Alice again. And that only meant one thing.

She'd have a handful of Rabbits in no time.

One of the reasons why he visits his animal friends by nightfall is that he doesn't want anyone to see how he uses his Alice…

…and I trust you know **why**.

It's bad enough to have four friends know how it functions, and Hotaru being one of them makes it worse.

Ruka trailed his memories of her blackmailing schemes.

_They were horrible_.

**_She was horrible_**.

He shrugged at the thought and even decided to continue walking when he noticed Hotaru hugged herself against the cold night wind.

Next thing he knew he was standing in front of her, his eyes now on the road to the barn.

He sighed as the bedlam in his mind somehow abated.

"Come on," he called, "I'll escort you back to the dormitory once I'm done with the animals."

Hotaru observed him and saw the agitation in his eyes. She perfectly understood.

"I can wait here until the rain stops." She stated, transferring her gaze at the ground.

It's typical of Hotaru to refuse help, so Ruka wasn't even surprised. In fact, he didn't even expect her to respond.

He was willing enough to leave her but he realized that she was only ill at ease and kept in mind that she's exactly like his best friend.

They both don't voice out their feelings.

And they're fortunate Ruka's not dense.

"Don't be silly," he shot back and looked away, "You might catch a cold if you stay here."

Hotaru studied the situation. She knew well that he was right.

She hates having colds as much as we do and having them by now isn't such a good idea. She was to participate in an upcoming contest and it won't do her fine if she dwindles once it arrives.

Hotaru looked at Ruka, her face still emotionless.

"Fine," she stepped forward and joined him under the umbrella which is adequate to shield both of them against the rain.

With that they strode off, not uttering a single word.

* * *

**Ponpokopi no Bebenben!**

Waaaaaaaaaaai! I just want to let you know that when that er...phrase pops out, it means it's the end of the chapter. And it means you get to read some notes I've listed concerning the chapter you have just read. Hee! This is the first chapter fic I've made, and its objective is...A-ra...I've forgotten.

Fufufufu! Well anyway, here are the notes:

(**1**) This fic is set in June, three years from the series. WHAAAAAAAT? So you ask why Ruka-pyon has a voice of a 14 year old? Hee! That's simple. The series have started having Mikan-chan as a 10 year old. That means January has passed already. Ne? (To those who don't know, FYI: Mikan's b-day is the 1st of January)

Though not counted as one of the four seasons, there is enough rain in June for it to be called **tsuyu** (the rainy season). And since Ruka-pyon's birthday is on the 16th of March, he's already reached his 14 years of age.

(**2**) What the heck is Hotaru-sama's elder brother still doing there? Er...I made it appear that Hotaru-sama's brother is in his first year high school (meaning he's 15 years old) in the series. So if Hotaru-sama is only 13 here (Her b-day is on the 25th of October), it will age her brother as 18 and this would make his last year in the academy.

(**3**) Yes, this fic would never mind the storyline of the manga. It is a fic, so I can do whatever I want to do with it, even though the real story ain't mine. Hey, as long as I acknowledge the real creators, I think it would be okay ne?

(**4**) Wai! No you're not imagining when you saw the description I've made to Hotaru-sama's hair. Fufufufu! You can imagine her in it too ne?

Uh...reason? Nothing really. I just figured that if some changes were done to Hotaru-sama, Ruka-pyon might fall in love with her. Hee!

Okay you RukaxMikan fans, please take those blazing eyes of yours away from me...ow ow ow!


	2. A Hint of Kindness

**Chapter 2: A Hint of Kindness**

Hotaru surveyed the place with a studious glance, but her eyes roamed no farther than the back of Ruka, as if pulling away the temptation to see him make use of his _Alice_.

She decided to let this chance slip to show her gratitude. Ruka has forced himself to bring her in the barn despite the fact that she's proven to be his worst…uh…nightmare.

Besides, how could she snap a picture?

He's draining almost all of his energy just to resist the eyes that make him want to overuse his _Alice_.

The barn was just as simple as to why it was built for. Fodders are heaped neatly in its dispenser while some were laid on the wooden feedboxes and bits sprawled everywhere on the floor.

Hotaru sat on an empty milk box and leaned back against the door post. She breathed in the distinctive whiffs of the rain and the animals. It was perfect.

Albeit the blended noises of the animals drifting around the place, Hotaru found it peaceful.

She watched from her position how the animals gathered around Ruka the moment he approached them. It was only a matter of seconds when she saw nothing but his blond head poking out of the top.

The animals in the barn were composed of cows in all sorts of colors, sheep with slight wools and gallant horses. Hotaru reckoned that the chickens stay beyond the door at the end, which Ruka already visited.

He certainly has that scent animals look forward to and his friendliness was pure without malice. His love for them seemed to spring from a child's heart that naturally loved such things.

It's no wonder that he's his true self when he's around them.

She's about to turn her eyes away from the gathering when the gaze of the animals met her violet eyes. They looked solemnly at her as if to say, '_We're going to eat you._'

Hotaru broke the eye-contact instantly and reprimanded herself to not imagine stupid things.

She found herself looking at the dewed window that looked out onto the barnyard. She observed the rain and thought it vague to cease any minute.

She continued to watch the depressing downpour of the rain and remembered how disappointed she was with her elder brother.

Pulling her legs to her bosom, she did not tear her eyes from the window and was lost in a trance.

Persuading him to reconcile with their parents was harder than she thought. When she invited him to sit along with them in the forthcoming competition, he was indignant.

'_I'd rather sit in a cheap slot than be with them._'

That did it.

And Hotaru did not leave without a retort.

Unkind words were exchanged.

…

It was only a split second when Ruka broke the spell with a bantering tone.

"It's odd of you to not abuse this opportunity." He laughed softly, snuggling a calf.

Hotaru saw that Ruka had an amused glitter in his eyes when he looked at her, but she pretended to be serious.

"Don't be stupid," she spoke indistinctly, "As soon as you lose control of your overwhelming _Alice_, I won't hesitate for a shutter chance."

She gently dropped her feet on the ground and revealed her newly invented camera.

Ruka just smiled as he sensed the palpable Hotaru. She was all gesture.

"Whatever," he said while sitting on the hay-embellished ground beside her.

The animals fixed their eyes on them, wondering who the black furred friend Ruka brought with him was.

They wanted him to have fun with them, but they all know that their friend and master mustn't play when another human is around. They thought of selfish things as they returned to whatever they're going about.

Hotaru lifted her eyes away from Ruka and watched as the animals revert to their usual doings.

"They hate me don't they?" she asked, not that she really cared.

"Not really," said Ruka, his eyes transfixed on his friends. "They just thought you were…" he paused, finding the right term to translate what the animals were telling him.

After a second or two, Ruka started snorting. It only took a couple of seconds when the snorting turned into hideous guffaws and only a matter of whatnot to make Hotaru resent it.

The chortling lasted for about half a minute when she stood up and shot Ruka a dangerous glance.

"Are you finished with them?" She asked with a tone that made Ruka shrug.

"Man," said Ruka, "Mikan's right. You sure have a short temper." He added and Hotaru thought she saw him blush by the mention of her best friend's name. "Anyway, there's no point in rushing. Let's wait till the rain holds back a bit."

She turned her eyes away, for the animals already looked murderous. She laid them on the window again, starting to regret that she ever came to that place.

It looked as if the weather was on Ruka's side, for it pissed her off when she realized that his umbrella would not endure the wind that accompanied it.

'_Great_,' she thought, '_I'm **stuck** with the shepherd and his flocks._'

Ruka saw the glint in her eyes and identified it as annoyance. He sighed and decided to keep quiet to cool her down.

Once again, nothing but the mixed din of the animals and the rain hung in the air.

Ruka glanced at Hotaru whenever he thought she wouldn't notice. It was to check if she was still annoyed.

He was actually worried of what might happen to him after she gets through with this gratitude stuff.

Many things could happen, it was true.

Especially when you stirred Hotaru's temper.

Ruka's sidelong glances took in Hotaru's shoulder-length silk black hair, slender body, rosy cheeks and cold but brilliant violet eyes.

If she would just flicker a smile at the corner of her mouth, Ruka would have marveled at her breath-taking loveliness which sprouted as the years passed by.

This time it was he who was in a stupor.

She was not the only one who grew up to look wonderful. Everybody had their growth spurts too, but the second one he particularly cared to notice, (for his was the first, of course) was the complete transformation of the girl he's loved ever since elementary.

**Mikan Sakura**.

…

"Have you told Mikan yet?"

And this time, it was Hotaru who broke the enchantment.

He looked at her and turned away quickly, flushing fiercely as he pondered if he voiced out his thoughts of her best friend.

Ruka passed his hand over his blond hair, groping for words.

"T-told her what?" he mumbled, trying to fight the obvious reddening of his cheeks.

Hotaru noticed the tinge of pink-rose in his face and was pleased. She had never in her life seen another pathetic pinched face other than his, and it thrilled her to use this subject sometime in the future.

It would teach those animals who they're messing with, and it shall be forged in their minds that Hotaru Imai **definitely** does not belong to the kind breed.

"You know _exactly_ what." Hotaru sat on her box again, rejoicing the runabout of the events.

Ruka gave Hotaru yet another momentary look for his orbs shifted at the ground when her eyes met them.

There was a moment of silence, with uneasiness clinging to it.

Hotaru was about to transfer her piercing gaze to the animals when Ruka spoke suddenly.

"Fate just doesn't give us enough time to talk." Ruka smiled again and it somehow composed himself. "Besides, I'm too much an idiot to tell her." He ran his fingers to brush his lengthy bangs, reminding himself to have a haircut soon.

Hotaru noticed his biting of words and thought she was probably doing the same when she was quarreling with her brother.

She took cards from her pocket and studied them. She was lucky enough to acquire these.

They were expensive passes to a private slot and not everyone gets a chance to watch from there, mainly because the private slots are always sold out due to the visitors of the academy.

She sighed as she noticed that they were already wet, though only one was dented. These tickets took her time, effort and money and all of those would be put into waste if she will just throw these away.

Keeping the destroyed one, she waved the two tickets in front of Ruka.

"Hey," she called; her word came out as if broken.

Ruka stared at her with unbelief in his face. He recognized those cards right away.

He heard Hotaru speak once more: "I'm going to give these to that idiot. If she invites you, don't be stupid and accept it." And she kept those tickets in her other pocket.

Ruka doubted he had heard right.

Was she making fun of him as a comeback? Those tickets are expensive. Why is she giving those to them? Not that he's complaining but…

He looked at Hotaru with questioning eyes, half-hoping that she would stick out her tongue and tell him he was a moron to believe her immediately. But another half of a minute passed without her doing anything to humiliate him.

Something is **absolutely** wrong.

"_Why_?" Ruka untied his tongue.

"You'll end up having a date with _him_ if I give you the tickets." She continued, indicating Ruka's best friend who is none other than **Natsume Hyuuga**.

Ruka felt that he just swallowed something that stayed in his throat. He reddened all of a sudden, thinking what the class would say if he offers Mikan a seat in a private box.

Not mentioning the flare that would, for sure, appear in his best friend's eyes the moment Ruka offers the tickets to the girl they **both** love.

"But what about Natsume?" Ruka asked, feeling strewn like the hay on the floor.

Hotaru understood.

This is such a dilemma.

"I'm sure," Hotaru started, "that the idiot would give you the other ticket."

There was another pause.

Ruka thought that even if she gives his best friend the other ticket, Natsume would just snub it.

It was too kind for Ruka's liking. Hotaru wouldn't just buy those tickets to help him get through this problem. Nothing just made sense.

He was still hoping that she would stick out her tongue, but most of him wanted to believe it's true. She did have that sincere look on her face…

"T-thank you," Ruka stammered, forcing himself to look at her.

Hotaru replied with a nod.

"Make sure you tell her."

She knew that Ruka finds the unexpected mood shift as suspicious, but not even Mikan would know if ever she asked her that.

* * *

**Ponpokopi no Bebenben!**

Am I cutting the chapters fine? Anyway, I better prepare the notes. Fufufufu!

(**1**) What? How can Hotaru's parents enter the academy? We all know that parents aren't allowed inside. Explain explain explain! Anou-sa, you have to wait for the following chapters to know how this was possible because even I myself don't know the reason why Hotaru-sama's parents can visit her there. Ahahaha...

(**2**) It seems OOC of Hotaru-sama to want her parents' presence in the contest she's joining, but that's not what she really wanted to happen anyway. She just wanted her parents to get along with her elder brother (WHAT IS HIS DARN NAME AGAIN?) before he completely leaves the academy. Uh...you'll understand why in the following chapters.

Stay tuned! I'm going to do my best to persuade you all to like the RukaxHotaru pairing...Mwahahahahaha! _coughs, coughs_ Man, I'm not cut out for this...


	3. Practical Joke

**Chapter 3: Practical Joke **

A thin, reedy birdcall drifted as **Mikan Sakura** swung the doors open before her, sending a brilliant shaft of sunlight into the hall of the Middle School Dormitory.

It was the silence that woke her early the next morning. After days of waking to a clap of thunder and or a crackle of lightning, the stillness was deafening.

She saw the way spread out before her, bright and empty in the early morning sun. The huge white limestone slabs formed a broad avenue, which spangled all the colors of a spectrum in the distance due to the small puddles which are vestiges of the rain.

Long she had wanted the raining to suppress that it lifted her spirits when bits of the sun crept through her window.

It was strangely lucky of her and she wished it to last all throughout the day.

"Your nightmares' let you out _early_ today," said someone.

Mikan let out a long, dejected sigh. She wished just too early.

The hurdle to all her luck was sitting on the lowest of the marble steps that led up to the dormitory.

**Natsume Hyuuga. **

His striking reddish brown eyes had a teasing glint in them as he regarded her. The bauble on his uniform shone brightly as if hawking that its beholder is undeniably a special star student.

Mikan was **not** pleased to see him.

"Very _funny_," she said dismissively.

The short haired girl jumped down the steps, gazing curiously at Natsume. It was more of a reflective stare, for she was wondering why her blond head friend (who usually tags along with him) wasn't around.

Come to think of it, she woke up without the riot and hubbub of rabid fan girls. They become extreme only when _two particular friends_ of hers go past them and it does matter a lot when one is seen without the other.

Is he waiting for his best friend to wake up? In addition, did she wake up earlier than Ruka this-

"Oh, what's _**that**_?" Mikan interrupted herself, pointing to a huge glittering jewel in Natsume's hand.

Mikan gawked at the wonderful jewel, wondering how a person such as Natsume acquired it.

Natsume became aware of the girl's attraction toward the stone for wherever he motioned it, either left to right or up and down, she kept her gaze at it.

"You want it?" Natsume asked.

Mikan blinked twice at his query and it made her think she was still dreaming.

"W-why, are you going to give it to me?" She murmured, her face turning bright red.

"_Here_," Natsume offered.

"Are you kidding?" Mikan asked weakly, eyeing the precious stone.

"Fine."

"**N-no**!"

Natsume tried to hide the gem from the dribbling girl when she held his hand all of a sudden. He looked at her and saw the same cherubic smile he had always yearned.

He looked away as she droned on about knowing all along that he was a nice person. Hearing all this made his blood rush in on his cheeks, attempting to reveal his feelings under pretense.

"-and of course I want it. It's _incredible_," she continued, picking the jewel up. "_Thank you_."

She turned the jewel sideways and saw a lilliputian button. She looked at Natsume to ask him about it, but he was already walking away with hands in his pockets.

'_Timidity must have overcome him again_,' Mikan surmised. She smiled to the thought that Natsume actually waited for her just to give her a gift, not to mention he had in fact, chipped in to her chain of luck.

Still keyed up by the button she found, she returned her gaze at the dazzling present in her hand.

She turned the jewel upright and pressed the little button. Suddenly, the top of the jewel flew off, and a dark green ink shot out of the gem so quickly that Mikan didn't have time to move away.

The next thing she knew, the ink had washed across her, staining her face.

Just when the incident occurred, more students burst out of the dormitory. They were enjoying the heat of the sun, just as Mikan did when she went out. But their faces turned pallid when they saw a green-faced monster with murderous eyes just below the steps.

It even shocked them that the monster knew how to speak, and it took them precisely fifteen seconds to realize that it was only none other than the indefatigable Mikan Sakura.

"**NATSUUUME!**" she shrieked, serving as five minutes advanced alarm for those who are still asleep.

She ran as if she were an automaton towards Natsume and sent him a flying kick, which of course, was deflected, hurtling her in front of him.

"_Harum-scarum_." Natsume stuck his tongue out at Mikan, who confronted him with punches and kicks that he had always dodged ever since elementary.

"You could've used your selfish Alice to repel it, **stupid**." He said casually, just after eluding another one of Mikan's blows.

"It-pant-caught me off-guard because I-pant-actually thought---**ARGH!** Wash that _silly look_ off your face!"

Mikan propelled yet another blow, but Natsume was always quicker than her. He has already foreseen the inevitable slipping.

So when Mikan had thrust her arm, Natsume pulled her hand and allowed her to skid past him. When he looked at her, he was relieved to see her still in position to continue her 'beating'.

She's completely oblivious to the fact that he had actually helped her, for her green-streaked face was now filled with greater agitation.

The contretemps continued as Mikan chased Natsume out of the futile heat across the courtyard and into the cool shade of the park trees that led out of the Middle School Dormitory courtyard and into the avenue Mikan had wished earlier to tread alone, peacefully.

* * *

**Ponpokopi no Bebenben! **

Waaaaaaaaaai! Sorry if I took too long to upload this short chapter. I was really busy with the theatre, not to mention the problems I had and still have. Maa! But anyway, here are the notes...

(**1**) Natsume-kun is wearing his special star! Wow, that's just great! Great OOC you mean? Mwahahaha! I've made him wear a complete uniform to show Mikan-chan's influence on him, since that would mean he was now following the rules. (I'm referring to my first fic, if ever you've read it.) But then, wouldn't that make Mikan-chan OOC too? It will be explained in one of the following chapters. I just don't know which. XD

(**2**) Did Natsume-kun really wait there just to give it to her? A yes and no answer, so one answer. YES. Another OOC, this is just fascinating. But no. You'll find out more in chapter four.

Hee! I'm happy to have handled a NatMi chapter at last. I hope you stay tuned! Thanks a lot for the reviews.


	4. Conked Out Usual's

**Chapter 4: Conked Out Usual's**

The rainstorm had ended and the gray mist and clouds have been swept away in the night by the wind. The wind itself had ceased and a brilliant, deep blue sky arched high over the academy. Here and there, high, high in the arched blueness floated small clouds of snow-white fleece.

All of these were taken in by our blond-headed friend who was staring outside the window of his classroom. His heart was thumping and his hands were shaking a little, much to his delight and excitement.

He was actually waiting for a certain brunette to appear so he could, _at least_ **prepare** himself before she asks him out. Yes it's **not** a date; although he wished it was and that he need not suffer the butterflies in his stomach, but it **wasn't** and he is **indeed**, feeling nervous about it.

Nervous because he's still not sure if Mikan would really give him the other ticket and second was the fear that he might destroy this opportunity like he did in the others. It just feels so weird when he thinks it all over since it was already queer to start with, having that _blackmailer_ the reason this was possible.

Ruka turned to look at his confidant (and _worst nightmare_) and was not surprised to see that her nose was stuck in a book, considering that this was one of her routine and it was typical of her to follow it.

As of now, there were only three of them inside the classroom. The president of the class was tending the ornamental plants and Ruka remembered just now that he offered to help him, after he saw the look in the president's face.

The written look on **Yuu Tobita**'s face was the sort you make whenever you wonder what the person you're looking at was worried of.

Ruka received the same stare when he entered the classroom awhile ago, and he smiled inside for he knew well what the president was thinking of. Everybody in the academy follows their routine and it was untypical of Ruka to break it by coming to class without his best friend.

"_Relax_," he told the seemingly stunned Yuu, "I just went ahead of him."

He had told the president to relax, for it always meant something whenever this routine of his was broken. He said it for he knew that it was not only him who feels troubled whenever Natsume was out, dealing with _things_ **no one** should and could relax about.

"**NATSUUUME!**"

Ruka was still looking at the president when a loud shrill cry pervaded the premises which almost caused Yuu to drop the light watering can he was holding. Ruka quickly turned about even though he already knew whose voice it was, only to find out that the certain brunette he was waiting for had an unnerving look on her _green-smeared_ face and was after his best friend who effortlessly ran away from her.

It was not long when Yuu joined Ruka by the window and watched how Natsume dodged every blow that Mikan's slender body could afford to give. He looked at Ruka and saw that he was now staring at the raven-haired girl across the room, just as he had found him only a short time ago. Yuu had sensed that Hotaru, the vice president of the class and his friend, was already annoyed for she had placed her book down and was now looking past them and into the window, her deep violet eyes filled with **irritation**.

The president shifted his eyes back to Ruka who was bushing a little and was now looking at the floor. What an odd morning this is, not mentioning the rainstorm that went off in the night, pretending it had never been there and never meant to come again.

It was barely a minute when they heard clinking, most likely from a wrench being used to tighten a screw of something. Ruka and Yuu looked at the only inventor inside the room and saw that she was sitting up on her heels, fixing something under her desk.

This had been added in her routine lately and the two reckoned that this new invention of hers has something to do with her **avoidance** of Mikan's morning habit of hugging her as if she had been gone for years.

"**COME BACK HERE YOU IDIOT!**"

Another howl rang which brought Yuu to his senses.

"A-ah!" he yelped, approaching the door to calm down his other friend before she drives anyone else, especially the teachers, mad.

"Natsume you _son of a pig_---!" Mikan was heard screaming outside. She had plunged her, hopefully, last punch when Natsume moved at the side after kicking the door open and grabbed her arm, pulling her inside and letting her fall flat on her face.

Natsume was clever enough to realize that Mikan's small frame had drained all of its energy (and knows too well that it would recover sooner or later) that he returned to his normal pace when he entered the classroom.

"**Plain green** huh? It suits your face." Natsume regarded and poor Mikan knew too well that it was her underwear he was specifying.

"-And your** mind**." She continued, her face still on the floor for it seemed just now that she has sour buttermilk in her veins instead of vivacious that of a child's blood.

"Mikan-chan," Yuu's comforting voice called, helping Mikan to her feet by slumping her other arm around his neck and supporting her body with his.

"Oooh, I'm glad I've got a friend in you!" Mikan managed to say, although all Yuu heard was a murmur.

Natsume walked to his seat, eyeing Ruka who greeted him with a 'what was that all about?' look. He was standing beside the desk of Natsume, holding a smaller version of Yuu's watering tin.

"I just did what **Youichi** asked me to do." Natsume chuckled, a not-so rare occurrence nowadays. Ruka shook his head and continued to water the plants, and was careful not to give away his tenseness.

Natsume fished out his '**_He is My Master_**' manga from the compartment and had begun to listen in spite of himself to the ranting of Mikan. She had called him names, remembering all the bad language that she had picked up at her county and from Natsume himself. In fact Mikan was surprised at how much she knew. So was Yuu, who had never heard anything like it before.

Natsume _impassively_ ignored Mikan's outburst as he read his manga. He had too much when Mikan gave way to a frenzy of kicking, shouting and insulting, not to mention the punching and flailing at him. Despite the unproblematic evasion of her attacks, he felt exhausted too.

"I hate him so much, that---that **jerk**!" Mikan said, rubbing her face with the wet handkerchief Yuu had given her. He had dipped his hankie in the water present in his canister and offered it to somehow clear the smudged ink on her face. She was already sitting on her seat with Yuu gaping with concern at her humiliating green face.

"There, there Mikan-chan…I'm sure the ink would go off soon." Yuu comforted his friend with a pat on her back. It was then that Hotaru returned to her seat, keeping the wrench with her other tools and continued to read what she had stopped with awhile ago.

"Did it vanish?" Mikan asked, her eyes flashed all the signs of fret. Yuu furrowed his eyebrow and shook his head.

"I'm afraid the ink had gone _real_ dry."

"Oh no!" Mikan cried, as she rubbed the cloth against her face harsher than before. She stopped as she felt how swollen her face had become, which caused her to whimper even more.

"M-Mikan-chan…" Yuu called, looking at others for support. But everybody seemed busy and it looked as if it was all up to him again to clean this mess. He sighed as he saw the hopeless face of his friend and can't help but feel sorry for her. He placed himself in her position…

What if their classmates enter the classroom now and see her like this? What more humiliation must she need to prove that she is indeed, **_doomed to failure_**?

Yuu looked at Mikan's so-called best friend and stood up, walking his way to her. Hotaru glanced back at him, knowing what he would ask her. She sighed as she moved her stare at her best friend and spoke in her famous droning voice.

"Mikan, come here." Hotaru commanded, and Mikan turned up and looked at her with tears brimming in her eyes. She stood up and found her way to her best friend.

"You're _humiliating_." Hotaru began.

Mikan sniffed.

"You look **really** silly." Hotaru added.

Mikan sobbed.

"You're uglier." Hotaru noted.

Mikan sniveled.

"But you're my best friend, and I'm going to help you." Hotaru ended.

Mikan looked up at her with this, feeling all so happy now that she wanted to give her a hug. Hotaru is her best friend after all, and it wouldn't hurt to hug her, would it?

"_Oh_ _Hotaru_," she brushed her tears and leapt from the ground to pay her gratitude. "**Hotaruuuuuuuu!**"

But before she even touch a strand of her best friend's silky hair, something came out of the desk. It was a giant silver cylinder that closed around Mikan, and it was so interesting that even Natsume dropped his manga to see if Hotaru's invention would blow the annoying person inside.

It took five seconds of clanks and clatter inside the cylinder and a '**_poof!_**' when the innovation opened and disintegrated itself back inside the desk of its creator, revealing a clean and sparkling Mikan.

"This is wonderful!" Yuu beamed, checking if there are stains left in Mikan's face, but there was none. Natsume returned to his manga, and Ruka resumed his half-done job before anyone sees his beet red face.

Yuu and Mikan danced, hopping up and down while holding hands and chanting silly 'this is wonderful!' exclamations. When they stopped, Mikan lunged forward to hug her best friend but she was once again interrupted when Hotaru slapped two cards on her face.

"_Here_," she offered with the same voice when the word was used inside the school barn. Mikan massaged her face while she took the tickets to look at them.

"Geez Hotaru, all I want is to hug you for the kindness you've shown---what are these?"

"Mikan-chan! Th-those are---!" Yuu attempted to speak but had stopped in the middle, much to his awe.

"Huh?" Clueless Mikan asked, facing the class president.

"But how did you get them Imai-san?" Yuu asked, now facing Hotaru who shrugged and continued reading.

"Iinchou, what are these?" Mikan persisted, brandishing the tickets in front of Yuu.

"Those are **Class S passes** to the upcoming race that I'm going to host!" Yuu exclaimed which made Ruka look at them. Natsume saw this and wondered why his best friend was sweating buckets. Ruka returned to his business with a grimace and it didn't escape Natsume's eyes also.

"You mean the marathon Hotaru is joining?" Mikan asked with her fully-recovered energy.

"Yes," Yuu answered, suddenly looking confused. "And they're given only to the spectators of the academy. If unusually not sold out, they would sell it to students with _thousand_ of Rabbits per se."

Mikan looked at Hotaru, tears of happiness now flowing in her cheeks. Unlike Ruka, she didn't question Hotaru's sudden thoughtfulness because as I said before, she is after all, Mikan's best friend.

She sniffed and held tight on the tickets and decided to accomplish her goal of hugging Hotaru now that she feels really, really blissful.

"**HOTARUUU!**"

But she failed, because a punching glove hurtled out of Hotaru's desk and sent Mikan flying towards the wall beside the door.

"Don't push it." Hotaru said, along with the ringing of the bell.

Other classmates entered and they all looked at the person who seemed to be stuck in the wall. They all recognized who it was instantly and asked what she was doing there. They asked not because they weren't used to see Mikan stuck on a wall, but because they weren't used to see her inside the classroom before they enter.

"Hey what are these?" **Anna**, another one of Mikan's friends picked up the two tickets that Mikan dropped as she was thrown away. **Nonoko**, who is Anna's best friend and Mikan's friend too, studied the tickets and gave a louder cry than Yuu's when he saw those expensive cards.

The other students who seemed to be uninterested with Mikan's usual stuck-on-the-wall exhibit found their seats and continued to chat with their neighboring classmates about the newly-opened joke shop in Central Town.

"Hotaru gave them to me." Mikan replied with a triumphant face, regaining herself quickly as she dropped down from the wall.

"But what are you going to do with two tickets?" Nonoko asked, snatching the glossy cards from her best friend.

"I don't…_I don't know_." Mikan said almost in a whisper. When **Sumire** entered the classroom and overheard the conversation, she can't help but poke her nose in their business.

"You should ask someone to sit with you in the Class S box---"

"**A-AH!**"

Everybody looked at the back when they heard someone suddenly barked. They found three-star Ruka with wet pants, and it was so hilarious that Hotaru instantly turned around and caught his picture.

_CLICK!_

"Something bothering you Ruka?" Natsume asked, picking the watering can his best friend dropped when he gave an involuntary jump. It was the reason why his pants got wet.

"N-nothing really---" Ruka stammered, seizing the watering can from Natsume and glaring at the others who have amusing glitters in their eyes.

"-You should try Hotaru's new invention Ruka-pyon!" Mikan suddenly snapped, taking the tickets from Sumire who almost dribbled all over it. "You saw how I managed to get out of the mess right?" She winked at Ruka as she stopped half-way near him.

Ruka looked at Hotaru whose eyes shone the same twinkle whenever she has blackmailing ideas in her mind. He gulped and shook his head feverishly, blushing furiously all the same.

"Hmm? Don't worry it's not frightening at all." Mikan reassured, already taking Ruka's hands with hers, which of course, made him redder. "Oh Ruka! Are you sick or _something_?" Mikan had let go of his hands and raised one of hers to check Ruka's forehead.

"I---I---" Ruka tried to speak but it seemed as if he was tongue-tied and even if he wasn't, he wouldn't find the right words to say to her. His heart was throbbing so much, more and more when he saw **Kokoroyomi**'s eyes looking at him and probably, past through his thoughts.

"-I'm not ill!" Ruka turned around, pressing his hand over his chest to somehow calm the thriving beating of his heart. Mikan blinked twice and suddenly, something committed in her memory.

What was Ruka doing here when Natsume was sitting there at the last steps to the dormitory? Did he really just wait for her to perform that practical joke of his?

Mikan's hands shook terribly as she remembered the disturbing thoughts but stopped when she felt the tickets were being crumpled in them. She thought of what could possibly make Natsume regret that he ever did _that_ to her. And then she flicked her fingers which made Anna, Nonoko, Yuu, Sumire and several other heads turn at her.

"That's it!" she cried in joy, standing in front of Ruka now. "Will you please join me in the box?" She asked bluntly and the class roared with prolonged 'what's' and 'impossible's' along with their thunderstruck faces.

Ruka shifted his panicky eyes from the others' amused faces and at Natsume who was in one of his unhappy, disagreeable ways wherein he sat still, reading his manga and did not intend to look as if he were interested.

"A-ah…" Ruka searched the classroom, seeking support and suddenly stopped when he saw Hotaru looking at him with the same blazing violet eyes that made him sure everything was going to be fine. It took Mikan to grab his hands to wake him up and her pleading eyes to finally give his sweet reply.

"Oh alright," Ruka answered, looking away.

"Oh thank you **_so much_** Ruka-pyon!" Mikan soared and flung her arms around Ruka's neck, hugging him as tight as she would Hotaru, if only she'd let him hug her.

Several brows shot up at them and Ruka flushed in all shades of pink. When he sought approval from Hotaru, she was reading yet again and appeared completely _oblivious_ to this.

* * *

**Ponpokopi no Bebenben!**

Heidi Howdy Ho! Welcome to Kero's---I mean Hiyono-chin's corner. Donguri korokoro ponpokopiiii! I'm sorry for the late and long update. Did I make it tedious to read again? Mou! Well anyway, here are the notes I have for you this time!

(**1**) What's up with the chapter title? Ponpokopi no hohogekyo! '_Conked Out_' means broken, and '_Usual's_' refer to the routines of the students. Fufufu…I'm sure you've got it now, ne?

(**2**) How come everyone knew suddenly what Natsume has been doing for the Academy? I just assumed that they did, since after all, 2 years have passed ne?

(**3**) Natsume-kun did something for Youichi! What does that mean? It has something to do with the newly-opened **joke shop** in Central Town. Fufufufu! And of course, I wouldn't mention it if it won't have something to do with our story ne? Hee!

(**4**) H-hey! I thought Mikan-chan chased Natsume-kun into the park trees? Yep she did. And if you would remember, the Middle School is located somewhere near a park surrounded by trees. So yep, that pretty much sums it up.

(**5**) I've specified a certain manga for Natsume-kun, entitled as '**_He is My Master_**' or in its Japanese translation '**_Kore ga Atashi no Goshujin-sama_**' because it is _ecchi_ and we all know that Natsume-kun can be a little off the hook with that stuff. Fufufu…just like what Mikan-chan managed to say: her current plain green panty suits his mind.

That's all folks! Thank you for all your support! Please don't forget to ask someone to read this because I want to know if I should continue this err…slow-paced fic. Fufufufu! And please and thank you lurkers, for your reviews! _wink_, _wink_…


	5. His Other Nightmare

**Chapter 5: His Other Nightmare**

She had got up very early in the morning and had a chase with Natsume and she was tired, so as soon as their boring teacher entered the class and started it, her uncontrollable drowsiness won over her and she fell asleep.

Unbeknown to our dear Mikan, the subject that this boring before-lunch teacher handles is one of the most important which of course, like any other '_most important_' out there, meant that it was difficult to understand if not given explicit and or extensive attention.

She thought it was the middle of the day when she was awakened by such dreadful sounds that she jumped in an instant. What was it---_what was it?_ The next minute she felt quite sure she knew. Doors were opened and there were hurrying feet in the corridors and someone was holding something that was screaming and singing at the same time, screaming and singing in a horrible way.

"Cock-a-doodle-doo! The sun is already high in the sky! Up **_stupid_**, **get up now**!"

The startling light seemed to poke her hard in both eyes. Looming shadows quivered in front of her for a moment; she blinked and four of her several friends came into focus, looking down at her. As she listened to the singing screams she did not wonder why some of her classmates were wearing sneers in their faces. She had missed Mathematics again!

Sitting bolt upright, she received a sharp blow on the top of her head that was powerful it made her face hit the desk.

"Lazy bum," Hotaru said, setting the punching glove back inside the noisy invention where it burst out. She closed the lid which served as the stomach of the miniature version of the 'Giant Piyo', another contraption that would make Mikan's life miserable as it is.

"Mou Hotaru!" Mikan groaned as she pulled herself up to full height despite the feeling that her head had been split in two.

"I-Imai-san…" Yuu called with a reproachful voice.

"You didn't have to hit me," grunted Mikan, rubbing the top of her head. "It's not my fault you know, it's---" Her voice tailed away when she didn't find the person in fault around the classroom.

"Shut up," Hotaru said sharply, turning and walking towards the door. "Don't blame us if we don't include you in the forthcoming presentation."

"W-what presentation?" Mikan turned her head right away at the president who wore a sympathetic look that made her somehow feel she shouldn't have had that nap.

**† **♥ **†**

The sun shone down the whole day on the academy. Ruka was walking straight on where no one including him knew where it's headed, because that's chiefly where his best friend would be. _No where_.

His heart and head were still heavy with the excitement he had that morning. He was nervous, for his best friend dare not talk to him after he had accepted Mikan's invitation but then he was not that sure for neither he tried to strike a conversation with Natsume. There was that invisible tension that crowded up on them once again and he very much disliked it. Ruka disliked it because he always felt as if he has to explain himself to his best friend, and he disliked it more because he couldn't bring himself to do it for he knew there was nothing to explain.

Nevertheless Ruka had set himself to find Natsume after he had left him with an 'I'll go on ahead' look instead of the usual "Oi" utter he gives whenever Ruka was on the cleaners' list.

He was, most of the time, paired with quite a lot of fan girls that he did not question why he never gets to finish his job. Those inane girls rather tire themselves than get a glimpse of their 'prince' being exhausted with an un-princely job.

He even remembered an occurrence where there seemed to be a scuffle. There was no fighting really, but in a sense there was. Several girls were fighting to possess the grubby rug he used to clean the windowpanes. As soon as one girl got hold of it, the whole pack of them pounced upon her. Even when she ran, there was no escape. The others hemmed her on all sides.

It was a familiar game to Ruka. It was a game common to him, Hotaru and her inventions. _Oh yes_ he had played the game and had come home quite hurt not that he received bruises and wounds, but because he lost to **_that girl_** again and he knew it was **not** for the last time.

He was running, hugging the photograph to his chest as he pushed with his free hand all those animal inventions that caught up with him. The beating of his heart was in frenzy as he neared the dormitory that was to mean his victory (for there would be a hundred of students and she'd lose track of him) when suddenly he tripped and fell over a guy who was just walking by. The man looked stunned as he rose and Ruka was calling him indecent names. Meanwhile, the photo had slipped from his hands and was taken away by one of Hotaru's inventions, a flying stubby triangle insect with a pointy little head.

Ruka shook his head robustly at the memory, especially when he thought of the man he had bumped onto. It was none other than **Subaru Imai**, one of the high-respected students of the High School division and his worst nightmare's older brother. He barely managed to lose the thought when the latter appeared out of nowhere with a stern look in his purple eyes behind those spectacles. He was strict as ever.

"Hey you there!" he called in a rather austerely tone. Ruka looked sideways, hoping there was someone else around but when the idea that he probably looked stupid to do this had struck him, he looked back at the person who was now approaching him.

"Me?" shuddered Ruka.

"Yeah you, _bouya_." Subaru now towered before him, his face calming all of a sudden. Ruka didn't feel anywhere calm though, for a muscle twitched in his jaw. He's 165cm tall and for his information, he is one of the tallest kids in his class.

"_B-bouya_? Why you---"

"I want you to give this to my sister." Ruka looked at what Subaru held in his hand and saw a white umbrella with a goose at its top end. Ruka found it familiar but since he was not feeling at all as he had when he had come out from the classroom, he did not think of anything but the insult Subaru dispatched.

"Why should I?" Ruka barked which would've scared his animal friends out of their wits if it was directed at them.

"Because you two seem really intimate with each other." He harangued. It was though something erupted into life in Ruka's stomach and searing blood seemed to run in his veins and up his brain and of course, his cheeks.

"We're not that close!" Ruka stamped his foot furiously. Subaru noticed this sudden rage but he continued in his severe tone.

"Then tell me how close you are to be huddled under that umbrella last night." The older of the two boys added, a shifty grin now presented itself. Ruka did not return it, for his lips pinched themselves together. He did not even try to control his rage and humiliation.

"WHAT? That was merely friendship, you idiot!" snapped Ruka indignantly. He grew sour and obstinate that he did not care whether this influential person decreases his rank. In fact, Ruka never cared for his level.

"What I saw was too much for mere friendship…" Subaru sneered ferociously, "…and for my liking."

"You're blind then, because our relationship is flat platonic." Ruka retorted without any affectation and he saw the smug in Subaru's face fading.

"I know what I saw, _bouya_---"

"I'm not a little boy!" snarled Ruka, "Besides, why don't you give her that yourself? You seem to dislike seeing us together."

_Is this where that idiot is getting at?_ He thought, because he'd gladly accept to step out of Hotaru's (blackmailing) life for he was **sick and tired** of it. He doesn't need telling because he'll stay away himself. Besides, that's what he was trying to do ever since that **_hogging witch_** found out about the misuse of his _Alice_. And if only she wasn't the vouchsafement for him to get Mikan he would've---

These furious thoughts whirled around in Ruka's head until Subaru's horrorstricken face interrupted his musings. His attention was no longer pinned at him, for he was looking at another person who was only a few feet from where they were standing.

All the pink left Ruka's cheeks, for his face turned pallid the moment he saw the witch he was thinking of. Subaru and Hotaru's stares seem so cold yet they make Ruka wholly melt. He gazed from one Imai to another, and he felt as if days and even months passed as he tried to make out something from the icy glaring they give each other.

Until someone's voice vibrated and melted the ice away.

"You're coming, right Hotaru?" Mikan's voice looped and passed through the silence that enveloped the three. They all were awoken from what seemed to be years as Hotaru broke eye-contact by walking away.

"I'm not in the mood." The boys heard her say as she approached the now-whining girl who called her.

They were actually walking in the main bricked road to the park (for it was their habit to plan whatever group project they have there), when Hotaru saw this unlikely rendezvous between her brother and her friend.

The president of their class was walking side by side with Mikan while their other classmates, Anna and Nonoko were following close and Hotaru was at the far back. This was always the set-up, because Hotaru easily gets annoyed with the noise Mikan brings. Besides, whenever she lags at the back she always sees wonderful sorts of things and somehow, whether it's Ruka in his amusing animal charming or plainly just the scenery which reminds her of home, they please her.

She can perfectly hear well that Anna was inviting everyone for tea after the appointment when she heard and sensed someone bellowing behind the trees. Everybody passed that certain area without noticing anything beyond the trees…but she did notice. And it was then she regretted that clairvoyance of hers. She stopped briskly at the sight of her umbrella in the custody of none other than her brother, and that was when the staring began.

Ruka tried to call her but Subaru pulled him by the shoulder, silent signaling him to let her go with a shake of his head. Ruka saw the stern features of Subaru die away as his stare drooped on the ground.

"Now you understand why I can't give this back to her," Subaru spoke at last, "She barely looked at me as anyone close at all."

* * *

**Ponpokopi no Bebenben!**

Fufufufu! Finally another chapter from moi moi. Hee! I think this one is a bit overreacting but who the hell cares? Since **Megami-sama** and I think Subaru is hot (thank you **ethereal collision**-dono for revealing the name of Hotaru-sama's older brother to us), I want him to finally have an appearance in the fan fiction. Maa-ne…here are the notes.

(**1**) Yep. When that heart border appeared up there, it meant the time has fast forward to dismissal hours.

(**2**) Where were Subaru and Ruka-pyon standing anyway? Err…they're by the trees, a few feet away from the main road which was being trekked by Mikan's group. Subaru was meaning to give the umbrella to Mikan-chan but she was with Hotaru-sama and he didn't want her to see him. That's why when he saw Ruka walking alone, even though he…er…disliked the kid, he decided to take the chance.

(**3**) Ruka-pyon's height was based on our very own **_Tsubasa Andou_**, so if you're wondering how tall I've made him you've got yourselves a model. Fufufufu!

(**4**) '_Bouya_' explanation: It literally means 'boy' in Japanese, and you know how proud they are, especially the children. So when someone high calls them this, they get the wrong idea that they're being called as 'little boy'. Why does Subaru tease Ruka-pyon as a "little boy" anyway? I don't know myself. I made that up because of the influential **_Edward Elric_** of Hagane no Renkinjutsushi and because that insult is most common in anime males. Don't you think so too?

(**5**) It seems OOC of Ruka-pyon to get angry that quick. And why the hell did he cut that thought of his about Hotaru-sama being the ticket to get Mikan? Fufufufufu! Oooooh the other chapters will let him realize that this isn't the only connection he has with her. Mwahahaha!

I hope to update soon. I've got more plans with this fic, but then my writer's block prevents me from wording them down. Hahahaha…well, the usual good-by's. Stay tuned please!


	6. Ferule for the Oblique Felon

**Chapter 6: Ferule for the Oblique Felon**

The last of the retiring sun shone on the windows of the bus Natsume and his companion, **Youichi** were riding. As the mighty eye of the heavens resumed its departure, our dark purple-haired friend stifled a yawn which disturbed (yet again) his six year old cohort. He was struggling whether to ask his _'nii-san_ if he was fascinated or not by the joke shop they visited awhile ago.

Last night when the weather was disagreeable, Youichi asked for Natsume's company. And since the people in charge of his department need not be told twice (because they don't want to be subjects of the boy's tantrums and _what_ goes with it), they phoned who he sought after and Natsume, being the goody old _'nii-san_ heeded the call which made Youichi jubilant in an instant.

Youichi handed him a jewel and explained to him what it does. Natsume thought it was cool, which made Youichi feel a bit proud. He was over the moon when Natsume asked where he got it and he promised to show it to him in exchange of assistance to go there. Natsume nodded in approval and before he was sent to go, Youichi elucidated that the jewel must be given to the **_old hag_**, as a practical joke, for she was _special_ and he wanted her to be the first one to try it out. And since the Middle School quarters are far from his branch, he gave the jewel to Natsume for an immediate bull's-eye.

When they met the following afternoon, Natsume seemed disturbed for he talked less in the already short talks he usually gives Youichi. Nevertheless, Youichi was pleased he was able to clutch from him that their little joke on Mikan was a success. But the day continued to draw a conclusion that Natsume's attention was not inside the joke shop. Youichi worried of Natsume's lack of interest in the seemingly magnificent store, especially when he sounded so enthusiastic about it last night. And then he began to worry more, for he must've been droning on about the joke shop and he most likely just hallucinated that his _'nii-san_ was interested.

Natsume saw his partner's sudden change of look that he grabbed a rubber orange that had 'Squeeze Me' written on it. Youichi suddenly smiled which made Natsume confirm that he was not paying much attention to him and his newly-found treasure cove. He grasped the toy tight when he remembered what happened inside the classroom earlier. The toy suddenly exploded and hundreds of thin folded paper scattered around the shop. One landed on Youichi's head and when Natsume unfolded and read it, he issued a warning to everyone to not read what's inside or else he's going to burn the place down.

Youichi smiled at him and told him that he doesn't need to worry for the papers would disappear after a minute. He felt embarrassed by what he had done, but he'd rather be misunderstood than let anyone step on his pride. Youichi can't suppress his soft chuckles though, for he knew what the plaything does.

Inside the bus, Natsume combed his hair with his hand and Youichi watched him with orbs that tell you the beholder wants to voice out something. Natsume still had the image of his best friend and that **_idiot_**'s best friend staring at each other when Youichi tugged at his sleeve. Natsume looked at him as he folded his arms and received several questions from Youichi.

"Did _'nii-san _like the joke shop?" Youichi managed to say. Natsume nodded and there was a shaft of light in Youichi's eyes.

"Come back with Youichi?" Youichi tugged tighter. Natsume nodded and Youichi smiled.

"Promise?" Youichi lets go of Natsume's sleeve. Natsume nodded and Youichi rest assured that he was just in paranoia awhile ago.

There was still some of what's left of the sun that had set when Natsume bid good-by to Youichi. He decided to walk toward the dormitory to have precious time to clear off his mind of _some_ things.

The note he read from the toy orange clearly stated what, or rather **_who_** he had in mind awhile ago. When he found out the purpose of the plaything, he thought of it an evil thing for it reveals who your heart desires. And because he somehow regained his heart the past few years, the evil thing saw through him and found out that the reason of why he has it back was the person he seeks to care for the most.

He felt his cheeks reddened as he thought of what could've happened if people around the store didn't know about his temper plus the capabilities that flow with it and read the notes. He would've been a goner by now, embarrassed for eternity. He shook his head and reminded himself that he has to get these things off his mind.

Fifteen minutes passed and he was not doing any good. Being with the person he half-blames for what had happened that morning for more than three hours didn't help him dump the subject from his mind. If he hadn't chosen to please the kindergartner by displeasing the love of his life, he could've won a free date (or so he thought) early that morning. But then, the longing eyes of a comrade don't fail to seep through him, especially when he got his heart back…at least somehow.

Natsume could already see the tower of the dormitory which made him wonder what Mikan was doing. He thought he'd drop by and peek on her bathing again but he was too busy wondering what the eye-contact between Ruka and Hotaru meant that he just had to drop the idea.

A number of regrets and cursing pierced through his mind as he continued to tread the familiar path back to the dormitory. The light posts started to liven up the dull trail and Natsume was put into a sudden stop when he saw his best friend coming from direction he was walking to. Natsume was surprised to see Ruka holding down a familiar umbrella with a goose as its head. It seemed as if Natsume wasn't the only one studying, for Ruka eyed Natsume as if he were an animal he had not yet seen.

Natsume was brought back to his senses when he saw how Ruka looked at him and continued his pace. A conversation without eye-contact embarked on before Natsume passed Ruka.

"Where have you been?" Ruka began.

"I just went to fulfill another favor." Natsume answered in a monotonous tone and Ruka joined him.

"I thought I'd find you in Youichi's department. I guess I was on the right track." Ruka fervently said. There came a minute of silence and to avoid suspicion, Natsume continued the discussion. He eyed the umbrella in his best friend's hand and asked:

"What are you doing with the inventor's umbrella?"

Ruka looked perplexed and it seemed as if he had forgotten until now that he was in possession of Hotaru's umbrella. He turned beet red but kept his face hidden as he replied with another question.

"How did you know it was hers?"

This notion gave Natsume yet another to think about. Just what is going on between these two? He almost had slipped his mind that he had to reply so he did.

"That green-panty girl borrowed it from her greedy best friend once and tried to beat me to death with it."

When Ruka heard what Natsume termed Mikan, he grew redder for he was reminded of what happened earlier. It also replenished his memory of the purpose of finding who he already has found. This time, a five minute silence prevailed.

"Uh…Natsume---you're not mad, are you?" Ruka broke the silent chain. Natsume was aware of where this is going, but he kept to his pace without giving away his consciousness of the topic.

"Mad about what?"

"About…about what happened awhile ago?" Ruka managed to spit out. If they found each other earlier when the sun was still setting, Natsume would clearly see how Ruka's face lit red.

"What event?" Natsume replied.

"…Mikan." Ruka would probably explode by now.

"What about her?" Natsume kept his cool.

"She---weren't you there earlier?" Ruka's sudden pitch of tone gave away his annoyance of Natsume's avoidance.

"Where?" Natsume's eyes fired up, but he's still on his pace.

"In the classroom!" Natsume noticed Ruka's free fist clenched.

"What time?" Natsume asked, still in his droning voice.

"Early in the morning." Ruka answered with a tone that doesn't seem to belong to him.

"I was there." His best friend triumphantly responded.

"Then stop pretending you don't know anything about it!" Ruka finally gave in and raised his tone higher than before. Natsume stopped walking, still facing on the direction of the dormitory.

"Why would I be mad about it?" Natsume asked in a grave tone, finally giving in.

"After that you barely looked at me. You went alone when lunch came. You left without a word by dismissal---What do you suppose me to think?" Ruka tried to control his tone of voice but he couldn't and all Natsume received was a bellow. He went ahead after leaving a statement.

"I don't know why your sixth sense made you jump to that conclusion."

"---I'm going to tell her my feelings."

Natsume paused once more, his eyes focused on the girl submerged with several of his classmates in front of him who were entering the dormitory. He could hear Ruka gasping behind and he didn't know why the sentence his best friend dropped tore him wide open.

There was an uncanny silence and the tiresome chirping of a cricket that no human ingenuity could locate, began.

**† **♥ **†**

Sigh.

That was the fourth this time, inside her laboratory.

Clink!

That was the sixth this time, inside her laboratory.

"_**Shit**_."

Who knows how many times she cussed this time, inside her laboratory?

Hotaru Imai, all alone again inside her comfy dome, was situated at one section wherein she was fixing the coupe she would use in the marathon. She kept dropping her wrench for an unknown reason as she yanks on knobs, which was why she kept on cursing. As for the sighing, she had something else in mind.

She gave up on the wrench (promising she'd deal with it later) and shifted into programming the coupe instead. She got inside the driver's seat it was only a matter of seconds when a perfunctory female voice echoed around the closed capsule, prompting the person in the driver's seat for verifications.

"Please state your name---"

"It's me." Hotaru slid her thumb on the neck of the stirring wheel where a slate for verification of thumb print is located. It was for her own convenience, for she knows how long the verification through speaker is. **If** ever she becomes unselfish at a certain time and would let another person ride her coupe, that's when the speaker does its job.

"Miss Hotaru Imai, what a pleasant surprise!" A hologram flashed right away before her eyes. It was a screen that contained needed information of a racer and an inventor.

"State the bugs you have scanned…that is, if you did find one." Hotaru checked everything inside the coupe and found that everything's neat as she had left it last night.

"Virus scan was completed without delay at exactly 12:03AM. No bugs were detected much to your greatness, Miss Hotaru Imai."

"Perfect. Now I need to input more possibilities of who could ride you. Keyboard please," Hotaru asked and another hologram appeared on the dashboard of the coupe.

The silence continued to linger, that the coupe acted on its own and turned its player on. It so happens that the song played was the one Hotaru's mother used to sing to her daughter. Hotaru brought her typing to a standstill and was haunted by the 'something else in her mind' previously. The image of her brother's cold stare flashed before her again and she shook her head as another person sparked as a hologram in front of the car.

"Nogi." Hotaru whispered as her mind thrashed about whether to let him in or not. She opened the roof of her coupe and she was able to hear what the hologram was saying.

"Imai, I know you're around. Open the door, will you?" She heard him say.

"Who is that person beyond the flap, Miss Hotaru Imai?" The voiceover asked. Hotaru slid herself out of the coupe and stood in front of the hologram.

"He's grown taller and I haven't even noticed it before." Hotaru mused and the more she studied him, the more she became interested in him.

"He's not a bad chap to be paired with that _dimwit_." Hotaru said, walking around the seemingly specimen in front of her while eyeing it.

"By dimwit, you don't mean Miss Mikan Sakura?" The coupe prompted the obvious which made Hotaru just nod, as if the mecha would see and understand her. She wasn't able to open her mouth for a response for she was already looking at the umbrella Ruka was holding. What she saw awhile ago came flooding in her memory rapidly that she disliked it and became again, the disagreeable child everybody knows. She turned away with the right generalization that her elder brother asked this boy the favor of returning what she had left the night she had a row with him.

"What a jerk." Hotaru said as she situated herself back in the coupe.

"Is there a jerk outside the entrance Miss Hotaru Imai?" The coupe asked.

"It's not the one outside the quarters. It's beyond those hills that send chills to your spine…or in your case, your roof." Hotaru emblematically said as she tried not to listen to the persisting person outside her laboratory. She prepared her fingers for more typing that night and thought she heard Ruka cursing to stay and wait for her that she looked at the hologram. Ruka was sitting, his back on the wall, Hotaru's umbrella on his lap and one hand of his on his cheek. Hotaru stood up from the coupe again and told it to shut down by itself. The coupe closed its roof and by that time, the hologram screen inside already disappeared. Hotaru stared down at the hologram and listened to it speak.

"…Drats. I wish I kept mum. I wonder…would Natsume talk to me again?"

The listener wondered why her friend did not have any animal companions with him to talk with. She ventured more into thinking and concluded that he might not want to worry them. It surprised her that Ruka and her actually had something in common.

"If only I was that cold and steel Imai, I would be able to handle this. Yeah, she'd know what to do." Ruka passed his other hand through his hair and gave another sigh. Hotaru smiled at his remark and began to walk away.

She went to the main computers and took a picture of Ruka with the use of the hidden cameras. When she was satisfied, she took her actual camera and opened the door. While in the process, she took a picture of Ruka which blinded him for awhile.

"Get up." Hotaru commanded. Ruka was bewildered, but got up anyway.

"What took you so long?" Ruka asked, dusting the dirt from his pants. Hotaru just let out a smile, motioning Ruka to enter the lab. Somehow, Ruka felt uneasy with that beam…but he entered with her anyway and the door closed behind them with a thud.

* * *

**Ponpokopi no Bebenben!**

I'm sorry if I took so long to update. I was really busy with other stuff and I had this long-term writer's block due to it. But anyway, here's yet another short chapter. I wish you enjoyed the slight angst between the best friends. Fufufu…on with the notes!

(**1**) What's up with the title? Otei. Ferule is actually a ruler that is used to punish students way back…er…1919? Meh. Well anyway, it stands for as punishment. Oblique means indirect, slanted, whatsoever which represents Natsume-kun, who is also the offender or felon. I used indirect because the real person behind Mikan-chan's suffering was Youichi anyway. So there, you now have my point.

(**2**) So we all found out that You-chan was the one who asked Natsume-kun for that stupid favor which made Mikan-chan a laughing stock in the previous chapter. Uh…about his age: I did read from somewhere that he's only three years old in the anime, that's why people can't get much words from him. So yeah, three years plus three more would make him six…I did Math right this time ne?

(**3**) Did the note contain Mikan-chan's name on it? Uh-huh and I don't think Natsume-kun would act so bloodcurdling if her whole name wasn't written there.

(**4**) 12:03AM there has significance. I assigned a number to the English alphabet and here's what I got to spell out Ruka: 18,21,11,01. I thought of how to turn it into time, so I used the number of syllables in Ruka-pyon's name to divide the numbers. I got: 1821:1101 and decided to sum up the numbers on each term of the "ratio" and ponpokopi! I got 12:03.

(**5**) Something in common between Ruka-pyon and Hotaru-sama? Since it really is difficult to pair these two up, I had to make something up. Fufufufu! Just kidding…I don't know about you guys, but I do believe that they have a lot in common. We just have to look further…er…help me otei? Fufufu! Anyway, the similarity I was pointing up there is the fact that they'd rather keep their business to themselves than worry others by telling.

(**6**) Does Ruka-pyon know that it is possible for Hotaru-sama to be watching him? I think he's got a lot in his mind that he forgot that it was possible for her to hear everything he said and see everything he did. Fufufufu…I'm evil.

Again, I'm really sorry for the delay. I hope you still want to read this after all those days...hahahaha! Expect a shorter delay by the way, since sem-break is approaching! Fufufu...


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